All things Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tonys

Directors Quentin Tarantino (seen here doing his best "Bubba Ho-Tep" imitation at the Grammys), Michel Gondry and David Gordon Green ("Pineapple Express") are among the talent appearing at over 80 panels at the 2010 SXSW Film Conference and Festival, which runs from March 12-20 in Austin, Texas.

Tarantino will participate in "Directing the Dead: Genre Directors Spill Their Guts," a panel devoted to modern horror pictures; he'll be joined by filmmakers Ti West (the acclaimed "House of the Devil"), Ruben Fleischer ("Zombieland"), the ubiquitous Eli Roth and Matt Reeves ("Let Me In," the American remake of "Let the Right One In").

Meanwhile, Oscar winner Gondry will discuss his work, including "The Thorn in the Heart," his new documentary about his family, with critic Elvis Mitchell, while Gordon Green will be joined by longtime collaborators Jody Hill ("Observe and Report") and actor Danny McBride ("Up in the Air") for "Filmmakers in TV: A Case Study," which looks at their transition from indie and Hollywood features to TV with "Eastbound and Down." Director Matthew Vaughn and members of the cast of his superhero comedy "Kick-Ass" will also be featured on a panel, while actor Jeffrey Tambor will conduct his popular acting workshop for the third year at the festival. For a complete list of panels, please direct your browser here.

The controversial documentary "The Cove," about the clandestine slaughter of dolphins by Japanese fishermen, is receiving a release date in that country. The film, which is currently in contention for the best documentary feature at this year's Academy Awards ceremony, is slated for a tentative release in April; the picture was threatened with legal action by the fishermen of Taiji, where the slaughter took place, when it premiered at the Tokyo Film Festival in October of last year. Medallion Media, which picked up the rights to the film from The Works International, issued a statement regarding the film's hot-button status, which in part said that "there is a debate to be had here, and this important film -- and the Academy Award nomination only serves to reinforce its importance -- offers the opportunity for such a debate."